How does blackmail work in RE?

[captainpatch]

I keep on getting messages about some extortionist demanding Big Bucks or he will sabotage one of my businesses. I have been going on the supposition that the consequence would be that one of my businesses of the type specified by the blackmailer would lose one level of productivity. Knocking a Level 3 business down to a Level 2 business for example. Given that going from Level 2 to Level 3 can cost around 1 million dollars, paying $300,000 in blackmail seems more cost effective. Bbbbuuuttt.....

Is the damage threatened by the blackmailer an absolute given? One of those businesses stated by the blackmailer WILL lose a level productivity if the blackmail isn't paid?

IS IT (just) ONE level of productivity being lost? Could it lose two or more levels?

Is the damage permanent? Or, like a Sabotaged Terminal or Industry, does it repair itself with time?

Is there any way at all to defend against blackmail? Any way at all?

Does paying a blackmailer increase or decrease the _frequency_ that blackmail threats get thrown at you? ["That was easy money! Let's do it again!" Or, "He NEVER pays the blackmail. We shouldn't even waste our time."]

^Those questions should do for starters.

[chaney]

I have not played for a while but don't think it would have changed. (Although my memory may be faulty.) The sabotages just shut down a facility for a while. Maybe 2-4 weeks in a 20 year game.

I always ignore the extortion (not blackmail, it is extortion) and take my lumps. I vaguely recall sometimes nothing ever happens, although it is annoying when it does. The only time I would consider paying is if the industry is critical for a tight challenge. I don't have an impression that paying encourages them or that not paying discourages them.

This is one system that could be improved (or ... removed?) in RE2. If it is improved, I would think lower costs and shorter consequences but (slightly) more frequent events would be the way to go, with a dynamic system that changes with behavior ... and personality to keep it from being too simple to "always" to the right thing.

[captainpatch]

So, the ENTIRE business is shut down for whatever amount of time? (Like when the Saboteur burns a Station Terminal.) That could be problematic, if the business attacked is the ONLY source of that commodity for 4 or more cities. Especially if the commodity is required to produce a component used in a higher-level output. (Like Planks being needed to produce Tools.)

A complicating issue is that you have no idea _where_ the affected business will be.

Another issue is that if you choose to NOT pay the extortion, you are never notified as to WHICH business got attacked. At least when the Saboteur attacks an Industry or Terminal, the program is kind enough to place a Fire icon on the affected city.

[chaney]

I don't remember for sure, but I thought there was a notification of the shut down industry. It's usually a buzzing gnat that annoys rather than a necrotic spider bite, but of course there are exceptions. Well stocked Cities can have fairly low down time on the stock - a setback but rarely crippling from what I remember. They happen infrequently enough that I never bothered to characterize them much so I could be wrong.

[coenvijge]

Only way to find out is to save the game at the moment of the event and then go on playing it two times (with and without paying) and taking notes of the things that are happening. If you repeat that a few times you'll probably find out what is going on and you can make a better choice. But .... I don't think there is someone who has taken the time to dive into it.

[captainpatch]

The question that remains is: Just how soon after refusing the demand does the damage occur? And if the affected business is, say, a Wood business, the only way to identify which owned business was attacked is to look at ALL of them to see which one has only ZERO units in stock. (Easily confused with a business that simply ran out of supply because its production rate is lower than the train takeaway rate.)